Avoiding Burnout: Why Filling Your Cup First Is Essential
It’s obvious that you can’t literally pour from an empty cup but mentally we often try to pour from the cup in our body leaving us with a sense of frustration, feeling lost and unmotivated. You cannot give to others without giving to yourself first. Some may think of it as being selfish but it’s not.
Imagine the following scenarios:
Your Boss : I need you to do X.
Your response: Ok, working on it now.
A family member asks you: Can you help me with X?
Your response: Of course, I can.
Your friend asks you: I need your advice on X.
Your response: What’s going on?
Your customer asks you: Can you make me X product?
Your response: Yes will work on it this week!
Without hesitation, you jump to help those in need. This cycle will continue to repeat until you’re unable to give anymore. Now you’re drained from helping everyone and too exhausted to do anything for yourself. You may not realize it at first because it’s so natural for you to put others first. I’m that “go-to person” to a lot of people in my life and it’s so natural for me to give to them without even thinking about it. You did everything you could to make others happy but left no time to make yourself happy. What sense does that make?
This is exactly what happened to me a while back. My cup ran completely dry and I had no more left in me. I had to take a step back from everything and take a mental break. I was sooo burned out from giving my all to others and running a business.
During my hiatus from everything, I spent time doing things that made me happy. Rekindling friendships that I truly cherish, exercising more (exercise isn’t just about losing weight), spending time with family, and most importantly focusing heavily on “me time”. It’s my favorite form of self-care. If I don’t set time aside for it, I’m useless.
So the next time you feel yourself starting to burn out, walk away from whatever it is that you’re doing. It’s okay to take a break to focus on yourself. Take that time to reflect and focus on your next steps. Your health (mentally, physically, and emotionally) is more important! It’s ok to tell people no when they ask for your help. Others may call it selfish but I disagree. We have to be selfish at moments for our own health to refill our empty cup. It’s okay to pour into others but let’s make sure we’re well taken care of so that we can give. We have to let go of the Superman mindset that we can do it all. We’re only human so know your limits. Your body will appreciate you in the long run for recognizing when you need a break. Take care of yourself first!
